Kerri Forquer

Practicing demonstrations before class is an important part of effective instruction. When instructors rehearse skills, procedures, or activities in advance, they become more confident in the delivery of the material and are better prepared to anticipate student questions or challenges.

When instructors take time to introduce themselves and share a brief professional and personal background, it helps students feel more comfortable and connected.

Students bring different backgrounds, experiences, strengths, and preferences to the learning environment, which can influence how they engage with and process information.

I enjoyed learning about the synchronous/asynchronous methods in this module. Thoughtful use of these helps build rapport, encourages open communication, and promotes student success. 

This module reinforced to me that teaching online students requires intentional effort to create a learning environment that closely mirrors the engagement, connection, and support found in a traditional classroom. Our challenge as instructors will be to build the relationships that encourage active participation.

This module reinforced that understanding a variety of instructional methods helps instructors effectively engage students, accommodate different learning styles, and create a positive learning environment. This helps with course and content delivery which can foster student participation and success.

I was reminded that as I become focused on student questions, demonstrations, classroom management, and time constraints, it is easy to unintentionally skip a key topic. A checklist used during lecture serves as a roadmap to help maintain consistency and ensures that specific ideas and/or topics are not accidentally missed.

I was reminded that while instructors are primarily hired to educate, the role frequently requires them to act as managers in addition. Coordinating student needs, managing classroom operations, and addressing day-to-day challenges can significantly expand responsibilities beyond teaching alone.  We should come prepared to embrace this role as well.